Dark Sanctuary

DARK SANCTUARY[pic 1]

Lovely Jules M. Albutra

The roaring sound of thunders and the heavy drops of rain echoed throughout the wet, dark, deserted road surrounded with trees on each side of the road. The strong wind made it hard for the car to pass through what seemed to be an unending road for the group of friends who traveled 406.8 miles from Virginia to New York City. They were halfway through Philadelphia when the heavy rain started pouring down from the black sky.

“The wind is too strong. It’s getting harder to maneuver the car. The rain is also making it hard to see, we need to stop by for the night.” The driver and the second eldest in the group, Braxton said.

“I could see a house, or probably a mansion, not far from here. We could ask the owner to let us stay just for tonight,” responded Damian, the oldest of them all, as he looked from the backseat window.

Braxton hardly drove the car to the said house with Damian’s help on directions. As they were coming near the house, they could finally see its structure. They could see an old, huge, dark mansion probably built in hundred and million years ago. The mansion seemed to be abandoned and was left there uninhabited for years.

“That house is giving me creeps,” said Alex, the prankster in the group, while wrapping his arms around himself.

“Well, we don’t have much choice. We can’t travel further with this heavy rain. We got to stay the night and this is the closest sanctuary we could see,” Harlow, the third eldest in the group, explained.

As they passed through the gate of the mansion, they got goosebumps as the winds seemed to blow stronger and colder.

They got their things and hurriedly got out of the car and ran inside the house. The inside of the house was dusty but still has a touch of luxurious feeling. A huge chandelier was hanging up the wall. On the left side of the room sat an enormous, grand staircase much like the ones in every Disney Princesses’ movie. On the walls, there hang some weird ancient paintings. There’s even one painting that has creepy faces on it like some ancient creatures or monster. Sitting at the center of the room is a brown antique loveseat with single chairs on each side. A beautiful antique table was placed in the middle of the chairs.

As the friends continued to look around, they felt a sudden cold breeze blowing around them but all doors and windows are closed!

 “Is it just me or it’s getting colder in here?” Alex asked no one in particular.

“Let’s go change in any of these rooms and meet up here after,” Harlow told them already heading up the stairs. The others followed her right after.

After changing, they all went back downstairs and sat on the chairs.

“I’m hungry. Where is the bag for the foods?” Blythe, the “Ms. Hollywood” in the group, spoke up after a moment of silence followed by a couple response of “me too!”

“I have it in the room upstairs. It’s the second door on the right,” Braxton said.

Alexander ended up going upstairs and getting the bag as no one wanted to. He immediately found the said room and hesitantly went inside without closing the door. He found the bag on top of the bed and quickly snatched and was already heading back to the door when a sudden thud echoed into the room. The door was closed.

Realizing this, Alexander bolted to the door and tried opening it but failed to do so. He started banging on the door, helplessly calling for his friends for help who were oblivious of what’s happened upstairs. He was busy banging on the door when he felt a chilling swoosh of wind behind him and when he looked over the window, he realized it was closed too. Getting more scared, he went back on banging on the door more desperately this time. He suddenly felt like he was being watched from his back. He slowly turned his head to look around the room but no one was there except himself. When his eyes fell on the antique wardrobe on the right corner of the room which was slowly opening and as if everything fell into slow motion, he saw a girl wearing a black gown hanging inside by a chain with thorns on her neck.